Cheapest Cell Phone Plans in Canada (October 2026)

Key takeaways

1 GB: $21 a month (chatr, Koodo prepaid with automatic top-up)
35 GB: $30 per 30 days (Public Mobile, 4G)
50 GB on 5G: $35 per 30 days (Public Mobile)
Most data for the price: Freedom 175 GB for $50 after the Digital Discount
chatr sells a 40 GB yearly plan for $159, about $13.25 a month

Cheapest plans by data amount

Data	Cheapest we found	Price before tax	Network	Notes
Talk and text	Fido Talk & Text	from $25 / month	Rogers	With Automatic Payments discount; no data
About 1 GB	chatr 1 GB / Koodo prepaid	$21 / month	Rogers / Telus	chatr adds 0.5 GB with Auto-Pay; Koodo gives 1 GB with automatic top-up (500 MB without)
5 GB	Public Mobile 5 GB	$24 / 30 days	Telus	4G
10 GB	Public Mobile 10 GB	$28 / 30 days	Telus	4G
15–20 GB	chatr 15 GB	$30 / month	Rogers	15 GB + 5 GB Auto-Pay bonus
30–35 GB	Public Mobile 35 GB	$30 / 30 days	Telus	4G
40 GB for a year	chatr yearly plan	$159 / year	Rogers	About $13.25 a month; 40 GB for the whole year, not per month
50 GB	Public Mobile 50 GB	$35 / 30 days	Telus	5G
70–75 GB	Koodo prepaid	$39 / month	Telus	75 GB with automatic top-up, 70 GB without; 4G
100 GB	Rogers 5G+ Essentials (newcomer page)	$65 / month	Rogers	Postpaid, after Auto-Pay discount; includes US use for 24 months
175 GB	Freedom Mobile	$50 / month	Freedom	Postpaid, after Digital Discount; includes Roam Beyond 10 GB

Prices are a snapshot from each carrier’s own website on October 5, 2026, before tax. Many offers change every few weeks, and several promotions on this list were set to end on October 5. Always confirm the price, the data amount and the conditions on the carrier’s site before you sign up. We do not accept payment for rankings.

Prepaid price ladders side by side

Four prepaid brands use almost the same price steps. The difference is how much data you get at each step:

Price	Public Mobile	Koodo prepaid*	Lucky Mobile*	chatr*
$21–$22	1 GB ($22)	1 GB ($21)	1 GB ($21)	1.5 GB ($21)
$24–$25	5 GB ($24)	5 GB ($25)	5 GB ($25)	6 GB ($25)
$28–$30	10 GB ($28), 35 GB ($30)	15 GB ($30)	15 GB ($30)	20 GB ($30)
$35	50 GB 5G	30 GB	30 GB	35 GB

* With automatic top-up or Auto-Pay. Without it, you get less data: for example, Koodo and Lucky give 25 GB instead of 30 GB on the $35 plan.

At $30 and $35, Public Mobile gave the most data among these brands on October 5, 2026. Koodo, Lucky and chatr were 4G only. Public Mobile’s plans up to 35 GB were also 4G; its 50 GB plan was 5G.

What about Fizz, Freedom prepaid and other brands?

Fizz (owned by Vidéotron) sells low-cost plans online in Quebec and other provinces. We could not open Fizz’s plan page for this snapshot, so it is not in the table. Check fizz.ca directly.

Freedom Mobile says its plans start at $35 a month, and it also sells prepaid plans. Freedom’s network is strongest in large cities in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, and it uses partner networks elsewhere.

Regional carriers, such as SaskTel in Saskatchewan, Eastlink in Atlantic Canada and Vidéotron in Quebec, sometimes beat national prices in their area.

Costs that are not in the advertised price

Sales tax. Between 5% and 15% depending on your province. A $35 plan costs $39.55 in Ontario (13% HST) and $39.20 in British Columbia (5% GST + 7% PST).
SIM card. eSIM is free at Public Mobile, Lucky and Koodo. A physical SIM costs $10 at Lucky and $15 at Koodo. The CRTC is reviewing whether Telus’s $15 SIM charge is allowed under the new fee ban.
Long distance and roaming. Basic plans include calls within Canada only. Calls to other countries and use outside Canada cost extra unless your plan includes them.
Promotions that end. Bonus data or a lower price may last only while you keep Autopay, or for a set number of months.

See your full cost with the mobile plan cost calculator.

How much data do you need?

Check your phone’s settings for how much mobile data you used last month. As a rough guide:

1–5 GB: you are mostly on Wi-Fi at home, work or school.
10–35 GB: you use maps, messaging, social media and some video on the go.
50 GB or more: you stream video daily, share your phone as a hotspot, or have no home internet.

If you have no home internet yet, a large mobile plan can be a cheap stopgap. Compare with home plans in cheapest home internet. For a full picture of what each brand offers, read flanker brands compared.

How to switch to a cheaper plan and keep your number

Do not cancel your old plan first. If you cancel, you can lose your number.
Sign up with the new provider and ask to transfer (port) your number. You will need your account number with the old provider, and sometimes your phone’s IMEI.
The new provider asks the old one to move the number. Your old service ends automatically when the transfer is done, often within a few hours.
Check your last bill from the old provider. Since June 12, 2026, there should be no activation fee at the new provider, and no cancellation fee at the old one unless you had a subsidized phone.

Make sure your phone is unlocked before you switch. See phone unlocking in Canada.

What these plans cost with tax

The same $35 plan costs a different amount depending on where you live:

Province	Tax rate	$35 plan with tax	Per year (12 bills)
Alberta	5%	$36.75	$441.00
Saskatchewan	11%	$38.85	$466.20
British Columbia, Manitoba	12%	$39.20	$470.40
Ontario	13%	$39.55	$474.60
Quebec	14.975%	$40.24	$482.90
Nova Scotia	14%	$39.90	$478.80
New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I.	15%	$40.25	$483.00

Plans billed every 30 days are charged about 12.2 times a year, so the yearly cost is slightly higher.

Common questions

What is the cheapest phone plan in Canada?

On October 5, 2026, the lowest monthly data plans were $21 for 1 GB at chatr and Koodo prepaid (with automatic payments). chatr also sold a yearly 40 GB plan for $159, about $13.25 a month.

What is the cheapest plan with a lot of data?

Public Mobile offered 50 GB on 5G for $35 per 30 days. Freedom Mobile offered 175 GB for $50 a month after its Digital Discount.

Is a 30-day plan the same as a monthly plan?

Almost. Public Mobile charges every 30 days, so you pay about 12.2 times a year instead of 12. Over a year, a $35 per 30 days plan costs about $426 before tax.

Do prepaid plans need a credit check?

No. Prepaid plans are paid in advance, so there is no credit check.

Why does the price drop with Autopay?

Carriers save money when you pay automatically, so they give a discount or bonus data. You need a Canadian bank account or a credit card for Autopay.

Sources

Checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Cheapest cell phone plans in Canada right now